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As work on the church continues this summer, a very important part to improving “the whole” is our dedication to taking care of “our part”. Our investment in making the church beautiful in this neighborhood is an investment in the neighborhood at large. Beauty converts; it draws us in, gives us joy and transforms us.

A critical element to making any property beautiful is “curb-side appeal”, where very little makes all the difference. Nothing says “welcome” better than a clean parking lot, and nothing says “we care about our property” better than a little landscaping. This is the next step: show that we care. Let’s make our place nice — for ourselves, for our guests and for God. Let’s redo the parking lot and clean things up!

WE OWN THE PLACE; LET’S MAKE IT HOME!

We will improve the parking lot by removing all volunteer trees and brush, demolishing all unsightly structures, regrading the surfacing for proper drainage, patching and filling damaged areas, resurfacing the pavement and striping. We will also make it beautiful by replacing the fence and mechanical gate, landscaping the front, adding sitting areas and installing decorative lighting fixtures. If we all pitch in just a little more, we can have this completed by the end of summer. May God bless you abundantly!

To find out how you can help by donating to the 6401 Woodlawn Heritage Foundation, please email our Project Manager, Rev. Canon Matthew Weaver, at info@institute-christ-king.org

Thanks be to God and to your most generous and enthusiastic support, the 6401 Woodlawn Heritage Foundation has completed its first goal. The windows of the Shrine of Christ the King are restored! We could not have done it without God’s grace, but we could not have done it without you too. Thank you, and may He reward you for your generous help.

What’s Next? Let’s Keep Going!

As interest and excitement continue to grow around the nation, let’s start taking care of Woodlawn. While construction goes full steam ahead on the shrine, let’s start pulling our weight to help make the community a beautiful place to visit — a beautiful place to call home. Let’s make our home beautiful.

Windows are to a church what truth is to the soul. They protect us from the harsh elements and give light to our path.

Just two weeks after beginning this critical step in the building of the Institute’s Provincial Shrine in the United States of America, the windows on the church’s north side have been completely restored.

With full ownership of this historic landmark edifice, the Institute of Christ the King is dedicated to building within its unshakable walls our national headquarters church to serve as “our cathedral” for our mission and work in the United States of America.

This beautiful Renaissance style building has ten massive windows, which magnificently illuminate the church’s interior. We are restoring the original frames and replacing the panes with ¼” laminated glass, which will not only seal up the building’s existing exterior, but will also serve as protective glass for the future stained glass.

Before and After!

What’s Next?

This week, the workers will move to the church’s south side to continue the window restoration, projecting completion in early June.

With the building now enclosed, interior construction can finally begin!

What a story this has been! We never could have come this far without God’s blessing, and we certainly could not have reached this point without your help!

Thank you all for your many prayers, your generous support and for your friendship and dedication to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in the United States of America.

In just one week’s time, the first two of ten massive windows have been fully restored in the historic landmark church at the corner of 64th and Woodlawn in the south side of Chicago.

Before

After

This majestic masterpiece of sacred architecture is being restored and rebuilt to be the Institute’s United States Provincial Shrine of Christ the King and the mother church of our young order in this continent. Thanks to you, this important step in this monumental undertaking has been made financially possible, and we pray to continue without interruption that we may bring what God has begun by His grace to completion for His glory. Thank you all, and thanks be to God!

If there is one thing that we all can learn this Easter from the Prince of Peace, it is that peace is not a passive, but an active reality. Our blessed Lord did not say, “Blessed are the peaceful”, but rather, “Blessed are the peace makers”. Peace, therefore, is not something that is given; it is something that is achieved. It is something that we achieve together.

Thanks be to God and to you, our friends, we have been abundantly blessed with the means necessary to drive forward with our plans to build the National Shrine of Christ the King, making to rise from the grave this beautiful and historic landmark church that she may once more be to souls both near and far a place of prayer, a place of beauty, a place of peace.

This past week, as our blessed Lord descended to the depths of hell to ransom the souls who awaited His peace, we descended to the depths of our beloved church to prepare its basement for the construction of the new restroom facilities and mechanical rooms. The rubble was removed, the walls scraped, the structural masonry fortified and all load-bearing walls rebuilt to ensure the solid foundation upon which we will now continue to build the National Shrine of Christ the King.

Now with our Blessed Lord, the Light of the world, we will rise from the depths to begin to manifest to the nation the light of the church and the hope that her resurrection brings.

This week, as construction continues on the basement, we will begin the arduous and important task of restoring the church’s historic exterior windows. Workers will remove all rust from the original steel frames, make all necessary repairs and then prime and paint the metal to ensure its longevity and beauty. Then, they will replace all the panes with clear, 1/4″ laminated glass, duly protecting the future interior stained glass and allowing once more the beauty of pure light to illuminate the church’s interior.

This monumental step did not come without the great sacrifices made by you, our friends and supporters, during these most recent Lenten months of prayer, fasting, and alms giving. The basement construction and window restoration alone required a nearly $200,000 investment on your part.

Like all good investments, there must be a return for us to continue. Made for the future, we must see promise in the present, or we shall not continue in faith. Your investment is for eternity, and I wish to thank you now and forever for your sacrifices. As the windows of the National Shrine of Christ the King are brought back to life, I wish to thank you for your generous and devoted help by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for you and your intentions throughout this blessed week of Easter, the Feast of Peace.

We will rebuild the Church together, but it will be through our sacrifices. May our risen Lord bless you for yours now and forever. God love you.

After First Vespers of Laetare Sunday on March 30, 2019, over two hundred people filled the banquet hall as friends of the Institute from five States, joined the canons and oblates stationed at the Institute’s US Provincial Headquarters for the 2019 Benefit Gala to help build our National Shrine of Christ the King.

The evening began with the joyful reunion of many close friends, including many members of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Having greeted those present, our Provincial Superior, Canon Matthew Talarico, led us all in the Angelus, blessed our meal, and reminded us all of our united love for the Holy Infant King and that this night was for Him. Motivated by the truth of his words and by the beauty of the concept artwork depicting the future church for the Holy Infant King, those present were explained the next steps in the building process and presented with the evening’s challenging goal: restoring 10 massive windows.

Provincial Superior, Canon Talarico

Project Manager, Canon Weaver

Entertained by the colorful personalities of the canons and faithful, everyone in the room joined together to build the church’s windows by playing a dynamic game show cleverly dubbed “All Pane, All Gain”, where those present teamed up with each other to match the donations of our friends and benefactors throughout the United States.

Dynamic Game Show

“All Pane, All Gain”

Encouraged by these pledges and contributions made from members of the Institute family across the nation, those present responded with unprecedented generosity to help raise a cumulative total of over $122,000, $100,000 of which was then matched by an anonymous benefactor and friend of the Institute. This tremendous charity on the part of the entire Institute family achieved not only this year’s project goal, but also will help launch the following goals of insulation, fire protection, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as the building out of the interior column structures.

Restoration of the ten window frames will begin in earnest as soon as the temperature is consistently above fifty degrees Fahrenheit. The original steel frames will be cleaned, the rust will be grinded off, the frames repaired where needed and then primed and painted with a rust inhibiting paint. The panes will then be replaced with 1/4″ laminated protective glass, which will not only seal up the interior from the elements, but will also serve to protect the church’s future stained glass.

While the funds for the completion of the window restoration have been fully raised, there are, however, individual windows that are still able to be sponsored or memorialized. If you would like to make a donation to sponsor or memorialize a window within our National Shrine of Christ the King in honor of your family or a special loved-one, please contact our Project Manager, Canon Matthew Weaver for more information.

The evening concluded by praying the Memorare together and the final blessing from Canon Talarico, but not before the premier of a powerful video entitled “Christ is Our King”. This short film calls us to unite as a family in our desire to honor Christ as our King, and to make our love for Jesus Christ incarnate (something to touch), like He has done for us. We trust Him to provide for us everything we will ever need, because we have honored Him with our trust and our love. We give to Him what He has given first to us, knowing He will give us back a hundred-fold and the joy of eternal life.

With the endorsement and blessing of the Institute’s Prior General, Monsignor Gilles Wach, as well as that of the Vicar General, Monsignor Schmitz, we wish to build a monument to the universal kingship of Christ over all of creation, here in the United States. This is what the Institute of Christ the King is all about – making visible the reign of Christ in our world. This is why we desire to build our National Shrine of Christ the King, because Christ Reigns Here.

We would like to thank everyone for your generous support as well as your continued prayers for this monumental project, and we thank you for helping to make this year’s benefit gala an unprecedented success, a lot of fun, and a victory for Christ our Holy Infant King. Deo gratias!

During a brief visit to the United States, Monsignor Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute, met with the Provincial Superior, Canon Talarico, for the unveiling of our plans for the Institute’s National Shrine of Christ the King. The two superiors sat down with (left to right) the design architect, William Heyer, the architect of record, Cyrus Rivetna, and the general contractor, Jim Raffin, for the presentation. Monsignor Schmitz was positively astounded by the church’s beautiful design and is most enthusiastic about its effective use of space to create both an aesthetically magnificent and liturgically functional home for our Divine Infant King.

William Heyer will now prepare the design drawings to be handed over to the architect of record, who will then convert them into the building plans that the general contractor will then use to make this vision of heavenly beauty a reality of earth and stone. During the monthly Novena to the Holy Infant King, we contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation — the mystery of our redemption; the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He wishes to dwell among us still, but where will He reign?

Our divine Lord Jesus wishes not only to reign in our hearts, but also in our society. We show Him (and others) we love Him by making the shrines of our hearts visible in the world. We do this by what we “build” in the world each day. We help build His kingdom with our corporal and spiritual works of mercy. However, our Divine Jesus wishes for His kingdom to be public, that is for all people, which means that He asks us also to build Him public monuments of His Kingship for all to see and from which all may be blessed.

As we prepare the final drawings for the Institute’s National Shrine of Christ the King before beginning construction in the spring, we turn in faith to our Blessed Mother, Mary Immaculate. In union with all of our American apostolates as well as countless friends of the Institute throughout the United States, we pray the Memorare each day that through her most powerful intercession, we may receive all that we need to build our National Shrine for her Divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, King — yesterday, today, forever. Join us as we pray:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee. O Virgin of virgins, my Mother, to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petition, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

On the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, Canon Talarico prays this saint’s favorite prayer, the Memorare, in the presence of the Holy Infant King for the special intention of the entire US Province: building of the Institute’s National Shrine.

Please join him in this special intention by praying the Memorare each day, and let us build a National Shrine to Christ our King.

National Catholic Register Covers Progress of the Institute’s Provincial Shrine!

Holy Mass was offered once again in the Shrine on Nov. 24, 2018, in the presence of the Holy Infant King statue, which, though made of wood, was not consumed in the roaring blaze three years ago.

Planned Side Altars for the Institute’s Provincial Shrine of Christ the King

We desire to honor the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ from the moment of His virginal conception until His triumphal Ascension into heaven where He lives and reigns as our benevolent and loving King eternally. All of these mysteries in the life of our Divine Lord center around the reality of His Incarnation — the mystery of the Word made flesh for our redemption. Jesus Christ, King — yesterday, today and forever — from the creche to the cross, Emmanuel is King. The center piece of this monument therefore is the well known and beloved Holy Infant King, a 17th century wooden statue of the Infant Jesus in royal robes of the time and crowned by the late Francis Cardinal George during the Octave of Christmas 2007.

Because of this central theme, the theme of the Incarnation, the side altars and shrines, therefore, will all focus on this central mystery and highlight its various aspects, episodes, virtues, manifestations, defenders and proponents.

1. The Mystery of the Annunciation: The virginal conception of our Divine King and the day of His ordination as a Priest, Pontifex, the bridge between God and man.

2. The Mystery of the Nativity: The virginal birth of our Lord and God and the adoration of the angels and the simple shepherds alike.

3. The Mystery of the Epiphany: The adoration of the wise men, the Magi, who followed a star by faith and brought to the Christ Child gifts of gold for His kingship, frankincense for His divinity, and myrrh for His true humanity.

4. The Most Blessed Virgin, Mary Immaculate, Mother of God, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Mother of the Church, Our Blessed Mother.

5. Saint Joseph, most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, Guardian of the Holy Family and protector of the Universal Church.

6. St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of Divine Love and defender of the redemptive Incarnation of our Lord for all of humanity.

7. St. Thomas Aquinas, defender of the Faith and Universal Doctor of the Church, the Mystical Body of our Incarnate God.

8. St. Benedict, “Father of Christian Civilization” and of the Sacred Liturgy, the living expressions of the reality of the Incarnation and the Love of God in our daily lives.

9. St. Therese of the Child Jesus – need I say more on behalf of this most beloved saint.

10. The Crucifixion, remembering always that our Lord’s true throne is His most holy Cross, which He offers to us each day that we might reign with Him forever in heaven.